Photos courtesy of Dirk Erasmus. Article courtesy of Brenton Williams, Marina Martinique, Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.

Cold and cloudy conditions greeted swimmers in the JBay Winterfest Cold Water Classic at Marina Martinique, Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

“The Classic forms part of the annual JBay Winterfest and is regarded as one of the most extreme events of the festival,” describes race organizer Brenton Williams. “The water temperature was 14°C (57°F) with the air even colder at 12°C (53.6°F), but this did little to deter some of the toughest open water swimmers in South Africa from completing distances ranging from a mile to a triple mile.”

Reigning Cold Water Classic champion Rebecca Newman [shown in upper photo] took her third consecutive title with a dominant swim in the Triple Mile event. “The water was way warmer than last year where we had to deal with 11°C water. I felt comfortable the entire swim,” said the 23-year-old.

Local Jeffreys Bay swimmer JC van Wyk won the men’s division of the Triple Mile. 41 years his junior, 9-year-old Abriella Bredell [shown in lower photo] swam her first sub-15°C mile. “I do wear a wetsuit when I go surfing, but I want to swim Robben Island so I have to get used to the cold water and swim in my costume,” said the youngster.

Williams added, “Bredell aims to swim the Robben Island – Blouberg Beach crossing in the next few years and the Cold Water Classic is an integral part of her open water swim journey.”

Triple Mile Bioprene Results:
1 Rebecca Jade Newman (female/23) 1:17:47
2 JC van Wyk (male/50) 1:19:00
3 Brendan Lock (male/46) 1:19:11
4 Schalk Willem van der Merwe (male/31) 1:23:16
5 PJ Duffy (male/46) 1:24:49
6 Iain Geddes (male/34) 1:25:57
7 Wade van Rensburg (male/41) 1:35:10
8 Dieter Marais (male/15) 1:35:52

Double Mile Neoprene Results:
1 Slater Black (male/14) 47:16
2 Paige Black (female/13) 50:43
3 Stanford Slabbert (male/57) 54:30
4 Russell Tucker (male/57) 54:59
5 Jenny Potts (female/46) 1:01:32
6 Michelle Elfick (female/45) 1:04:12
7 Linda Basson (female/39) 1:05:28
8 Suzie du Plessis (female/51) 1:05:34

Mile Bioprene Results:
1 Manuel Strydom (male/17) 27:00
2 Rolf Kickhofel (male/50) 30:00
3 Jaco Barnard (male/24) 30:47
4 Ralph West (male/55) 32:10
5 Wayne De Lange (male/42) 33:43
6 Kendal Wright (male/19) 36:36
7 Amy Erasmus (female/18) 38:51
8 Abriella Bredell (female/9) 39:11
9 Tamsyn Nicholson (female/25)42:35

Mile Neoprene Results:
1 Josh Tucker (male/15) 24:30
2 Greg Tucker (male/49 25:49
3 Wesley Smith (male/37) 29:08
4 Xavier Janse van Rensburg (male/36) 43:13

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